Dear Parents and Carers
I hope you are having a great weekend.
Thank you to those of you who joined Thursday's Iftar - I was totally overwhelmed by the amount of food families brought and how proud the pupils were to show off their school to their parents, brothers and sisters. If your child is fasting over Ramadan please continue to ensure that they eat an appropriate meal before the fast and get plenty of sleep.
School visit for current parents: If you would like to come and see the school in operation then please join one of our coffee mornings on 25th March or 2nd April: Coffee morning sign up
Labelling items: The school is unable to take responsibility for any items lost at school. Please ensure that your child does not bring any valuables into school, including high value items of clothing. Please ensure that all items, including mobile phones, are labelled so that they can be returned if lost.
I wish you an enjoyable remainder of the weekend,
Mr Neuberger
This Week's Highlights
It was a busy week this week as the school's annual community Iftar took place on Thursday. It was great to see such a big turnout with so many parents and students coming together from the community and celebrating.
A huge shout out to Aura, Rihito, Hiro, and Noa in Year 8 for achieving 2nd place in the Ark Bolingbroke Maths Competition this week. They worked exceptionally hard against fierce opponents from other Ark schools; their speed and teamwork impressed Mr Keryakoz throughout. Well done all!
There was so much joy for the year 7 scientists this week as 7 Alexander and 7 Cicero took part in practical experiments, working together using microscopes. Their teachers were blown away by the student's professionalism and team work.
Poetry by heart
Friday saw our first workshop with Ms Snowdon for the ‘Poetry by Heart’ competition. Students are working on their own poems as well as classics chosen by the competition to perform and compete against other schools. If your child is interested in participating but was unable to attend the first workshop, they must speak with Ms Snowdon. Further details can be found on the website here: https://poetrybyheart.org.uk/for-pupils
Notices
End of year trips
At the end of each academic year, all Soane students go on two trips to celebrate the successes of the year, provide opportunities to build culture, and develop teamwork and perseverance. This is an important time of the year for our school community – your child must be in attendance on these days.
We are delighted to announce the end of year trips will be as follows:
- Year 7 – Go Ape Battersea and London City tour
- Year 8 – West Wittering Beach and Chiswick House & Dukes Meadow walk
- Year 9 – Thorpe Lakes Watersports and King’s College London
- Year 10 – Whitstable (students studying Geography)/Liberal Jewish Synagogue & Regent’s Park (students not studying Geography) and Gripped Hounslow
A letter has been emailed with further information for these trips, including costs. Go Ape, Thorpe Lakes, and Gripped require additional consent – please complete the Microsoft Form linked in these letters. Further details about timings for the school day for these trips will be shared in the parent bulletin closer to the time.
Exploration Day - Thursday 3rd April
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All students will be attending trips on Thursday 3rd April for our second Exploration Day of the year. Year 7, 8, and 9 students will be visiting the following cultural institutions to explore a ‘big question’ out of the classroom to expand their knowledge and expose them to new experiences.
Year 10 students studying GCSE Geography will be completing their assessed human geography fieldwork in Stratford. This is a mandatory part of Geography GCSE. Year 10 students not studying GCSE Geography will be visiting Khalsa Jatha Gurdwara to support their GCSE Religious Studies course and/or their overall cultural awareness and understanding of world faiths. Students that study both Geography and Religious Studies will attend the Geography trip, as this is an assessed part of that course. Students that do not study either subject will attend the Religious Studies trip. A letter has been emailed with further information for these trips. Further details about timings for the school day for these trips will be shared in the parent bulletin closer to the time. |
RSE lessons
As a part of your child’s education at Ark Soane, we promote personal wellbeing and development through a comprehensive Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education programme. PSHE education is the curriculum subject that gives young people the knowledge to live safe, healthy lives. As part of this, schools have a statutory obligation to teach students relationships and sex education (RSE).
Thank you to the parents who attended the consultation on our approach to teaching this content on Mon 3rd Mar. Up to three terms before a child turns 16, there is a right of withdrawal from sex education. Lessons for Year 8, 9, and 10 will be taught in PSHE lessons from WC 28th Apr – WC 19th May; there is no sex education content taught in Year 7. It is our belief that effective RSE has a positive impact on self-esteem and enables our students to have a well-rounded view of relationships and sex that embeds a culture of both personal and mutual acceptance. It is essential that what is taught reflects the diverse society in which we live, and that all children have access to age-appropriate information free from stereotyping or discrimination to keep themselves and others safe. Due to the risks associated, we strongly recommend parents do not take up this right of withdrawal – if you wish to do so, please email info@arksoane.org for an initial conversation.
Zip/Oyster cards
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If your child takes public transport to school, please ensure that their Zip or Oyster card is always topped up with a minimum of £5 credit. This ensures they can use buses and trains in London; we also use public transport for some fixtures and smaller trips which Zip or Oyster cards are needed for. We have received reports of some students not having a Zip or Oyster card or having insufficient funds on them when travelling– please check this with your child. Details for how to apply for an 11-15 Zip card (the cheapest way for young people to travel in London) can be found here: https://tfl.gov.uk/fares/free-and-discounted-travel/11-15-zip-oyster-photocard |
SEND team coffee morning
On Friday 21st March from 8:50-10:00, Mr Tse (SENCO) and the SEND team will be hosting a coffee morning where you will get the chance to hear more about how we are supporting our pupils with SEND, see some lessons and speak to the SEND team. If you would like to attend, please register here by the 14th March.
Contact us
If you need face-to-face assistance then the school office is open during term-time from 8am-4pm. So that we can deal with email enquiries promptly please see the school email addresses below:
- General Enquiries – info@arksoane.org
- Attendance - absence@arksoane.org
- Free School Meals - fsm@arksoane.org